Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS)

2019 Criminal Enforcement Actions

An indictment is a formal accusation or charge based on a finding by a Grand Jury that it is likely that the person charged committed the criminal offense described in the indictment and is the means by which an accused person (defendant) is brought to trial. An indictment raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

An information is a formal accusation of a crime by a government attorney rather than a Grand Jury. An information raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

A charge is an accusation of criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Each count is a separate and distinct offense charged in an indictment or information.

A guilty plea is a defendant’s admission to the court that he or she committed the offense charged and an agreement to waive the right to a trial.

A conviction is a judgment based on a jury’s verdict, judge’s finding, or the defendant’s admission that the defendant is guilty of the crime charged.

A sentence is a judicial determination of the punishment to be imposed on an individual who has plead guilty or has been convicted by a jury or judge of a criminal offense.

On April 23, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Stephen Perez, former Treasurer of Steelworkers Local 402 (located in Grand Rapids, Mich.), was charged with one count of embezzling approximately $14,408 in union funds, one count of filing a false LM report, and one count of falsifying union records, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), 439(b), and 439(c), respectively. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office.

On April 15, 2019, in United States District Court for Southern District of Iowa, Theodore E. Watson, former business manager for Insulators Local 74 (located in Des Moines, Iowa), pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and one count of mail fraud, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c) and 18 U.S.C. 1341, respectively. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Denver-St. Louis District Office.

On April 11, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Edward Cranston, former Secretary-Treasurer of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) Local 1421 TD (located in Beecher, Ill.), was sentenced to three years of probation. Cranston was also ordered to pay the remaining $9,999 of $28,084 in restitution and a $25 special assessment. On January 17, 2019, Cranston pleaded guilty to one-count of willfully filing a false LM-3 Report for fiscal year ending December 31, 2014, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(b). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.

On April 11, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Charles Kimo Brown, former Secretary-Treasurer of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 142 Longshore Division (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), was indicted on two counts of embezzling union funds (29 U.S.C. 501(c)) and two counts of falsifying union records (29 U.S.C. 439(c)). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Office, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On April 10, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, John Burgess, former President of the Pacific Stainless Products Employee Association (located in St. Helens, Ore.), was sentenced to five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution totaling $10,621 and a $25 assessment. On December 20, 2018, Burgess pleaded guilty to one count of concealment or destruction of labor union financial records, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco-Seattle District Office.

On April 10, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Vincent Esposito pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1962. Esposito admitted to participating in an illegal enterprise from 2001 through 2017. Frank Cognetta, former Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1D (located in Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Vincent D’Acunto, Jr., former Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW Local 2D (located in Brooklyn, N.Y.), were also charged in the same indictment as Esposito and have previously pleaded guilty. The guilty plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office SDNY, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

On April 9, 2019, in the Marlborough Division of the Middlesex District Court of Massachusetts, Edgar Barajas, former Financial Secretary of United Steelworkers Local 4-1702 (located in Marlborough, Mass.), admitted to sufficient facts to sustain a charge of Larceny over $250, in violation of Massachusetts General Laws chapter 266, section 30. Barajas admitted to making unauthorized cash withdrawals from the union’s checking account and making unauthorized debit-card purchases totaling $10,279. Under an agreement between the prosecutor, defense counsel, and the union, the court continued the case without a finding for one year and will dismiss the charges if Barajas makes full restitution to the union and pays all associated court fees within that time. The plea and agreement follow an investigation by the OLMS Boston-Buffalo District Office.

On April 9, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Newport News Division, Benjamin Wisecarver, former President of International Alliance of Theatrical, Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 264 (located in Hampton, Va.), was sentenced to five months in prison, five months of home confinement, and two years of probation. Wisecarver was also ordered to pay $53,704 in restitution. On December 19, 2018, Wisecarver pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and embezzle labor union assets, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

On April 2, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Norwood Jewell, former United Auto Workers (UAW) International Vice President in the UAW Chrysler Department (located in Detroit, Mich.) and Director of the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center from 2014 through 2016, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Labor Management Relations Act, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service.

On March 28, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Nathan Lum, former Longshore Division Director of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 142 (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft (18 U.S.C. 1028A(a)(1)) and one count of failure to file income tax returns (26 U.S.C. 7203). The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Office, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On March 26, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Jonathon Ortino, former President of National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) Chapter 165 (located in San Francisco, Calif.), was charged in a three-count indictment with making false entries with respect to the filing of the union's LM-3 Report for fiscal years 2014, 2015, and 2016, all in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001(a)(2) & 2 (False Statements to a Government Agency). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco-Seattle District Office.

On March 26, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Ivar Carlson, former Business Agent/Treasurer of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 935-B (located in Worcester, Mass.), pleaded guilty to embezzlement in the amount of $37,014, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston-Buffalo District Office.

On March 18, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Vincent D’Acunto, former Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 2D (located in Brooklyn, N.Y.), pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1962. The guilty plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office SDNY, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

On March 18, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Norwood Jewell, former United Auto Workers (UAW) International Vice President in the UAW Chrysler Department and Director of the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center (NTC) from 2014 through 2016, was charged in an information with one count of conspiracy to violate the Labor Management Relations Act, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. Jewell knowingly joined a conspiracy whereby he received money and things of value from persons acting in the interest of FCA and/or approved UAW officials to use their NTC credit cards to make over $40,000 in purchases for himself, senior UAW officials, and other UAW members, which were delivered through and concealed by the NTC, from 2014 through 2016. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations.

On March 15, 2019, in the Marion County, Indiana Superior Court, Charlotte F. McDaniel, former Secretary-Treasurer of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3826 (located in Indianapolis, Ind.), was indicted for three counts theft of union funds with a value between $750 and $50,000, in violation of Indiana Code 35-43-4-2. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland District Office.

On March 11, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Frank Cognetta, former Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1D (located in Brooklyn, N.Y.), pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1962. The guilty plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office SDNY, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

On March 8, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Karen Auer, a former principal of an accounting firm, was sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay $7,194 in restitution. On August 3, 2018 Auer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor information for filing fraudulent returns, statements or other documents, in violation of 26 U.S.C. 7207. On May 31, 2018, Auer was charged by complaint with aiding and abetting an embezzlement of union funds (18 U.S.C. 2 and 29 U.S.C. 501c), false statements in employee benefit plan records and reports (18 U.S.C. 1027), conspiracy (18 U.S.C. 371), and making a false statement (18 U.S.C. 1001). The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, SDNY, Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice’s Labor-Management Racketeering Unit.

On March 7, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Mervin Hawk, former President of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1640 (located in Detroit, Mich.), was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Hawk was also ordered to pay $362,623 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. On November 28, 2018, Hawk pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling over $300,000 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On March 1, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, a criminal information was filed charging Howard Janoske, the co-owner of an HVAC and plumbing company in Maryland, with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and embezzle union funds for conspiring with, among others, an employee of an international labor organization located in Herndon, VA, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The information charges that Janoske's company provided the union's facilities and real estate manager with tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks including a high-end outdoor kitchen and free HVAC and plumbing services for the union manager and a relative in exchange for the awarding of the union's service agreements and maintenance contracts. With the union manager's knowledge, Janoske and his subordinates submitted inflated and fraudulent invoices to the union to recoup the expenses for the personal benefits. Janoske then pleaded guilty to the charge. The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

On February 27, 2019, in the Vermilion County, Indiana Circuit Court, Darin Kingrey, former Financial Secretary of United Steelworkers Local 706 (located in Cayuga, Ind.), pleaded guilty to two counts of theft (Level 6 Felony) in the amount of $7,464, in violation of Indiana Code 35-43-4-2. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland District Office.

On February 26, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Salvatore Armao, the managing partner of an accounting firm, was sentenced to two years supervised release to include six months of home confinement, and ordered to pay $9,592 in restitution, $18,700 in forfeiture, and a $3,000 fine. On August 2, 2018, Armao pleaded guilty to an information for false statements in employee benefit plan records and reports, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1027. On May 31, 2018, Armao was charged by complaint with aiding and abetting an embezzlement of union funds (18 U.S.C. 2 and 29 U.S.C. 501c), false statements in employee benefit plan records and reports (18 U.S.C. 1027), and conspiracy (18 U.S.C. 371). Armao’s clients included the International Brotherhood of Trade Unions Local 122, a small independent union located in Long Island, NY, and the affiliated United Health and Welfare Fund. Rocco Fazzolari, the former President and Fund Administrator of Local 122, previously pleaded guilty to, and was sentenced for, embezzlement of union funds, embezzlement of benefit plan funds, and conspiracy to embezzle plan funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), 18 U.S.C. 664, and 18 U.S.C. 371, respectively. Armao’s false filings concealed Fazzolari’s embezzlement. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, SDNY, Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice’s Labor-Management Racketeering Unit.

On February 26, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, John Matassa Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of Amalgamated Workers Union Independent Local 711 (located in Mount Prospect, Ill.), pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $738, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The factual basis of the plea agreement noted that Matassa received $33,513 by issuing unauthorized union checks to his wife, and as a result, received approximately $75,108 in Old-Age Insurance Benefits to which he was not entitled. The guilty plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office, Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.

On February 25, 2019, in the United States District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina, Terry Slaughter, former Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1208 (located in Tar Heel, N.C.), pleaded guilty to embezzlement in the amount of $62,315, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta-Nashville District Office.

On February 25, 2019, in United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Urbana Division, Anthony Edmunds, former President of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2419 (located in Danville, Ill.), was sentenced to three years of probation, 12 months of home confinement, and he was ordered to pay restitution of $19,482 and a $100 assessment. On October 25, 2018, Edmunds pleaded guilty to embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.

On February 21, 2019, in the United States District Court for the SouthernDistrict of New York, John Ulrich, former Vice President and Recording Secretary of Teamsters Local 812 (a union representing beverage industry workers located in Great Neck, N.Y.), was charged with offenses related to alleged bribes from a third party administrator (TPA) given in exchange for Ulrich’s use of his influence with the union and its health fund. The indictment charged Ulrich with soliciting and receiving bribe payments to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan (18 U.S.C. 1954 and 2), conspiracy to solicit and receive bribe payments to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan (18 U.S.C. 371), honest services health care fraud (18 U.S.C. 1347, 1346 and 2), and conspiracy to commit honest services health care fraud (18 U.S.C. 1349). The indictment follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On February 20, 2019, in Adams County, Wisconsin Circuit Court, David Dauman, former President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3495 (located in Oxford, Wis.), was charged with one count of felony theft of approximately $3,597, in violation of Wisconsin State Statute 943.20(1)(b)&(3)(bf). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office.

On February 14, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Christy Little Coppin, former office secretary of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2250 (located in Muskogee, Okla.), pleaded guilty to one count of theft within a special maritime and territorial jurisdiction, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 661. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.

On February 11, 2019, in the Worcester District Court, Darius Pourfarzaneh, former Trustee of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 935B (located in Worcester, Mass.), was charged in a one-count complaint for Larceny Over $250, in the amount of $6,870, in violation of Massachusetts G.L. c. 266, §30(1). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston-Buffalo District Office.

On February 8, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Newport News Division, Christopher Mulhall, former Secretary-Treasurer of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 264 (located in Hampton, Va.), was sentenced to five months of home detention and 36 months of probation. Restitution was not ordered as another defendant previously paid the entire $57,000 in restitution. On May 29, 2018, Mulhall pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and embezzlement for taking part in an embezzlement of $57,310 from the union, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

On February 6, 2019,in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Karen Pierce, former employee of Plumbers Local 142 (located in San Antonio, Tex.), was charged in an eight-count indictment for theft of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas New Orleans Office.

On January 31, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Kevin Crownover, former Treasurer of International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local Lodge 2947 (located in Lemoore, Calif.), was charged with one count of embezzlement from a labor organization and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c) and 18 U.S.C. 1028A(a)(1), respectively, for an embezzlement in the amount of $50,879. The complaint follows an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco-Seattle District Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, John Dougherty, Business Manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefits plan (18 U.S.C. 371), 34 counts of embezzlement of union funds (29 U.S.C. 501(c)), 23 counts of wire fraud theft from the union (18 U.S.C. 1343), two counts of wire fraud theft from political action committee (18 U.S.C. 1343), two counts of filing a false LM report (29 U.S.C. 439(b)), two counts of falsifying union records (29 U.S.C. 439(c)), five counts of filing false federal income tax returns (26 U.S.C. 7206(1)), one count of conspiracy to accept unlawful payments from an employer (18 U.S.C. 371), eight counts of accepting unlawful payments from an employer (29 U.S.C. 186(a)(2),(b)(1) & (d)(2)), one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and federal program bribery (18 U.S.C. 371), 11 counts of honest services wire fraud (18 U.S.C. 1343, 1346), and one count of honest services mail fraud (18 U.S.C. 1341, 1346). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Brian Burrows, President of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefits plan (18 U.S.C. 371), 14 counts of embezzlement of union funds (29 U.S.C. 501(c)), two counts of filing a false LM report (29 U.S.C. 439(b)), two counts of falsifying union records (29 U.S.C. 439(c)), and five counts of filing false federal income tax returns (26 U.S.C. 7206(1)). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Michael Neill, Apprentice Training Director of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to embezzle from labor union and employee benefits plan (18 U.S.C. 371), four counts of embezzlement of union funds (29 U.S.C. 501(c)), one count of theft from an employee benefit plan (18 U.S.C. 664), and four counts of filing false federal income tax returns (26 U.S.C. 7206(1)). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Marita Crawford, Business Agent and Political Director of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefits plan (18 U.S.C. 371), four counts of embezzlement of union funds (29 U.S.C. 501(c)), three counts of wire fraud theft from the union (18 U.S.C. 1343), two counts of wire fraud theft from political action committee (18 U.S.C. 1343), one count of filing a false LM report (29 U.S.C. 439(b)), and one count of falsifying union records (29 U.S.C. 439(c)). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Niko Rodriguez, an employee of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefits plan (18 U.S.C. 371), six counts of embezzlement of union funds (29 U.S.C. 501(c)), and six counts of wire fraud theft from the union (18 U.S.C. 1343). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Brian Fiocca, an employee of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to embezzle from labor union and employee benefits plan (18 U.S.C. 371), five counts of embezzlement of union funds (29 U.S.C. 501(c)), and five counts of wire fraud theft from the union (18 U.S.C. 1343). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Anthony Massa, an employer for members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefits plan (18 U.S.C. 371), 14 counts of embezzlement of union funds (29 U.S.C. 501(c)), one count of theft from employee pension fund (18 U.S.C. 664), and one count of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (18 U.S.C. 1001). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Robert Henon, an employee of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.) and a Philadelphia City Councilman, was charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and federal program bribery (18 U.S.C. 371), 14 counts of honest services wire fraud (18 U.S.C. 1343, 1346), one count of honest services mail fraud (18 U.S.C. 1341, 1346), three counts of accepting federal program bribery (18 U.S.C. 666(a)(1)(B)), and one count of soliciting federal program bribery (18 U.S.C. 666(a)(1)(B)). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, James Moylan, Executive Director of Neighborhoods for Fair Taxes, a non-profit that received donations from International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an indictment with 17 counts of wire fraud (18 U.S.C. 1343) and four counts of filing false federal income tax returns (26 U.S.C. 7206(01)). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 28, 2019, in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Rocco Fazzolari, former President of the International Brotherhood of Trade Unions Local 122 (an independent union located in Long Island, N.Y.), was sentenced to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $1,288,810 in restitution. On September 26, 2018, Fazzolari pleaded guilty to embezzlement of union funds, embezzlement of benefit plan funds, and conspiracy to embezzle plan funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), 18 U.S.C. 664, and 18 U.S.C. 371, respectively. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the SDNY, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and Employee Benefits Security Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice’s Labor-Management Racketeering Unit.

On January 28, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, George Peltz, owner and operator of MJK Electric, an employer for members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of tax evasion (26 U.S.C. 7201), one count of failing to pay over payroll taxes (26 U.S.C. 7202), one count of theft from an employee benefit plan (18 U.S.C. 664), and one count of unlawful payments to a union official (29 U.S.C. 186(a)(b) & (d)(2)). The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 22, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, George Peltz, owner and operator of MJK Electric, an employer for members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), was charged in an information with one count of tax evasion (26 U.S.C. 7201), one count of failing to pay over payroll taxes (26 U.S.C. 7202), one count of theft from an employee benefit plan (18 U.S.C. 664), and one count of unlawful payments to a union official (29 U.S.C. 186(a)(b) & (d)(2)). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

On January 22, 2019, in the United States District Court District of Kansas, Robert Clearwater, former President of National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) Local 14-8 (located in Topeka, Kans.), was sentenced to three years of supervised probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $11,781 and an assessment of $700 to be paid to the victim impact fund. On April 24, 2018, Clearwater pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States and six counts of false statements, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 661 and 1001, respectively. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Denver-St. Louis District Office.

On January 17, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Edward Cranston, former Secretary-Treasurer of Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) Local 1421 (located in Beecher, Ill.), pleaded guilty to one count of willfully filing a false LM-3 Report for fiscal year ending December 31, 2014, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(b). The factual basis of the plea agreement noted that Cranston paid himself approximately $28,220 in union funds to which he was not entitled and improperly reported some of these disbursements as an authorized salary on multiple LM-3 reports. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.

On January 15, 2019, in the United States District Court, District of New Jersey (Trenton), Sergio Acosta, former President and Trustee of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2326 and the Local 2326 Health and Welfare Fund (located in Edison, N.J.), was sentenced to three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $32,000 in restitution for failure to remit contributions regarding union employees’ health premiums and a $100 special assessment. On April 6, 2018, Acosta pleaded guilty to a superseding information of one count of theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sections 664 and 2. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office and the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and Office of Inspector General.

On January 15, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Christy Little Coppin, former office secretary for American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2250 (located in Muskogee, Okla.), was charged in a one-count indictment for theft and embezzlement within a special maritime and territorial jurisdiction in the amount of $52,738, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 661. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.

On January 3, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, Steven Kristopher Perry, former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 2077 (located in Columbus, Ohio), pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $20,458, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland District Office.